2 minute read
Mystery Man | Harold C. White
Mystery Man
Harold C. White
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During my career at Arizona State University I had heard of Kathryn Gammage, the widow of long time ASU President Grady Gammage, I was told she was a very positive person and one of ASU’s strongest supporters. After the death of her husband, she held positions at ASU, both formal and informal. I met Kay Gammage in 1993, shortly after my retirement from the College of Business. It was at a social function. We had a comfortable visit and, at the end, to my surprise, she invited me to invite her to lunch. For whatever reason, Kathryn Gammage. I took the comment as a simple expression of friendship from a good lady. However, during the next six months, we met two more times, and each time she repeated her invitation. Acknowledging myself as a slow learner, I finally called her and we set a date. I drove to her apartment at Friendship Village in Tempe. At her apartment, I met Sally Y who was a personal assistant and friend of Kay.
As Kay and I drove off, I asked her choice of restaurant, suggesting the upscale Boulders, T.G.I. Friday or McDonalds. She chose T.G.I. Friday as a “fun” place.
The conversation was as easy as it had been in our previous contacts. She was enthusiastic when speaking of her husband and ASU. A major topic was of the 1959 campaign to designate Arizona State College a university. The state legislature, politically dominated by politicians from southern Arizona, refused to approve a name change. The story she told was one I had heard from others, so she must have repeated it often. She and others travelled the state seeking signatures to put the university issue on the ballot. In Gila Bend she asked permission of a pharmacist to place a campaign poster in his shop window. Her request was refused, as he was a University of Arizona supporter. The story was worth repeating, as the campaign was successful and the daughter of the pharmacists later became an ASU cheer leader. It was one of the times during lunch when she used her trademark expression, “It was magic.”
Perhaps her favorite topic over lunch was her family. She sparkled when she spoke of her grandsons. She had the same sparkle each time she told the
